Waves
by Leodragon678
Summary: "Listen. I will lose myself if it means I can find you."
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone, I'm here with a short story, I enjoyed my fair bit of gruesome angst back in the day and this is me paying it forward. I'm warning you now, this story is quite a bit graphic with it's injuries, its rated M for a reason, you've been warned.**

**Waves**

I've been stuck here for weeks now, it hurts to even move. What I can feel of my right leg is burning from infection and untreated wounds. It's hard to even find the energy to keep my eyes open, let alone the drive…

"_Face it…" _I think to myself, _"Nobody is coming…"_

I mentally sigh, it's not like I could even walk if I did have the chance, Robotnik took that from me long ago… He looked down at his body at the stump that remained of his right leg, the end of which was covered in dried blood and skin turned black from infection.

Robotnik had only kept him alive because he knew the secret location of Knothole, information which the fox refused to share. Each day he was subjected to a new form of torture in an attempt to rip the information from him. He had been brutally beaten, burned, and water boarded. But through sheer willpower and resolve, he had held through.

However, he could now feel that resolve breaking… After having been tortured, starved, and in pain for the past couple weeks, he just wanted it to end. He knew he could hold out a little longer but that would be it…

Now however, it was time for the process to begin anew, a duo of Swat Bots entered his small cell, the fox didn't even bother to fight back as he was lifted up and supported under the shoulders, due to not being able to walk of his own accord any more… Tails didn't resist, why would he? What chance did he, a one legged, weak, malnourished fox have against the entirety of Robotropolis?

He was thankful that at least, his infected stump of a leg was too short to drag across the ground, it had been removed just under his knee, which made it practically impossible to perform anything that would normally involve it.

As he was dragged into Robotnik's personal interrogation chamber, he found what was to be the delivery of his torture, a surgical bed was set out, and dozens of assorted medical tools laid on a nearby table. He was hoisted onto the bed and had his wrists, leg, and tails all restrained. Then, the robots left, leaving Tails alone. It wasn't long however before Robotnik arrived.

"Hello my friend!" He began, a devilish grin across his face. "Now, in case you don't know what the plan is for today, I've got something special planned. You see, I could always use more information on Mobian anatomy, and I just so happen to have the perfect subject, you!"

Tails was scared, but nevertheless refused to speak, for fear of giving Robotnik the information he desired.

"Of course," the doctor continued. "This could all end if you just tell me where your friends are hiding, but I'm sure you already knew that by now. Do you have anything to say?"

Silence...

"Very well, let's get down to business then!"

Tails' mind went numb as he simply tuned out what was about to happen as Robotnik made his way over to him, carefully selecting one of the many available tools at his disposal. As soon as the blade made contact with his chest, the white hot pain that flared through his body yanked him back to consciousness. He began to breathe heavily in a futile attempt to control the pain. Grimaces flashed across his face with every movement as blood slowly trickled off of the bed and onto the tiled floor from his open wounds. A slow steady stream of droplets spattered on the floor as the fox mentally screamed in agony.

From behind the doctor however, he was not aware that Sonic and Sally had broken into the prison block and we're silently making their way up to his location. As soon as they were close enough, Sonic struck the man on his side, launching him away from Tails, as soon as he got a proper look at the fox's injuries, his eyes went wide in shock.

"Sal, it's bad, really bad!"

Tails however, was still mentally out, he was only vaguely aware of what was happening, and not entirely certain of what or who, had just grabbed him. He didn't care…

Sally looked over and almost instantly gasped, "S- Sonic… What happened to his leg…"

Sonic simply ignored her, as if acknowledging it's existence would somehow make it real, he secretly hoped that this was somehow all just a dream, that any moment, he would wake up and be able to see his brother fine again…

Deep down however, he knew this wasn't true…

He quickly gathered the kitsune into his arms, blood still flowing from the fox's chest and staining the fur around his injuries. Sonic immediately ran off at full speed, desperate to get Tails any form of medical attention. He could feel the somewhat shaky breaths making their way out of the kit's lungs as he hugged him close to himself. "Tails bud, just stay with me, ok?"

No response was given, not even an acknowledgement that he had been spoken to. Just blank eyes and an emotionless expression. Sonic tried to shut out the tears that came with his lack of response as he burst into Knothole, immediately issuing surprise from the other Freedom Fighters, which quickly turned to shock as they saw the fox's injuries.

Bunnie quickly took the fox out of the hedgehog's arms and carried him out of the room, Rotor followed behind. Leaving Sonic in a state of shock, especially once he realized how much of Tails' blood was still on his chest. However, that wasn't what concerned him the most, it was the glimpses of the kitsune's leg he had seen on his return trip, he tried to shut the images of the grotesque, torn and frayed appendage out of his mind as best as he could, but he couldn't take his mind off of one simple fact…

Tails would never walk again…

**-X-**

A few hours later, Rotor retrieved Sonic. The hedgehog was instantly on high alert. "How's Tails? Is he alright!?"

"He's… Stable, not in great condition, but he's not getting any worse now…"

Sonic sighed in relief, "Can I see him?"

"I think so, just remember he's still really weak."

The hedgehog nodded and followed him into the infirmary, while he found Tails lying in the bed, bandages were wrapped around his chest, he couldn't see his leg however. Dozens of needles and tubes connected him to machinery placed around the room, supplying him with a constant stream of blood and nutrients. The fox weakly smiled, "Hey Sonic…"

"Hey bud…"

Sonic wasn't quite sure what to respond, especially since he was still somewhat in shock at his injuries. Once he got his hands on Robotnik, he would pay…

"I'm sorry Tails, we tried to get you sooner, but…"

"You're fine Sonic… It's ok…"

Sonic gave a small smile, even when horribly injured, Tails still was his happy compassionate self.

A grimace crossed the fox's face, "Agh!" He yelled, Rotor instantly grabbed another dosage of pain killers and injected it into the fox's blood stream, "Alright Tails, that's your last one for today, alright? I don't want you to overdose."

The kitsune slowly nodded and gently dozed back off to sleep. Sonic pulled the walrus out of the room and asked the question that was really nagging at him, "Rotor… How's his leg?"

The walrus sighed, "Not good, after weeks without proper treatment and being infected, we're going to have to cut the end of what's left of it off…"

Sonic grew angry at the response, "Hasn't he been through enough! There's not anything left as there is!"

"If we don't get rid of it Sonic, it'll just be painful and eventually, it could kill him… We don't have a choice…"

Sonic started to break down at the realization of what was happening, as he did, Rotor continued. "Sonic, there's also one more thing, there's… There's a chance he won't make it…"

"So, you're telling me that it could kill him!? Is that it!? He's suffered enough, you are not doing that operation until you can tell me that he will survive, do you understand!?"

Rotor was somewhat surprised at the sheer amount of anger in the hedgehog's voice, combined with the mental breakdown he was currently experiencing. He wasn't sure what to say, or how even to respond. He just decided to give Sonic the facts. "Sonic, Tails is going to die if we don't do this now, the longer we wait, the more pain he's in, and the less chance he has of living. We can't wait, I'm going to have the schedule it tomorrow once I can get another dose of painkillers in him."

Tears cascaded down the hedgehogs face, "He's just a kid Rotor. He shouldn't have to go through this… He'll never be able to walk again!"

"Sonic, this is Tails we're talking about, I'm sure he'll find a way…"

Sonic desperately wanted to agree with him, to be able to have all his fears dealt with, but was simply left with the nagging sense of guilt and fear…

**Alright everybody, that's it for this chapter! Until next time!**


	2. Incisions

**Hello everyone! It's time for the next chapter in this short story! I've got reviews so I'm not going to waste any time!**

**Obliviblur: Tails' leg is, not great… Especially considering the state he and it are in. Hopefully he'll get better, but they're going to have to do something about his infected limb.**

**SuperTailsFan0812: He's messed up pretty bad, but hopefully he'll get better as time goes on!**

**Alright everybody, let's get going!**

**Waves**

_**Incisions**_

Tails groggily opened his eyes to several blurs, almost instantly, he heard a somewhat familiar voice.

"Tails, how ya feeling?"

His vision slowly came into focus and he noticed Bunnie was in the room with him, checking on his injuries. "I'm doing alright, I guess…"

"That's good to hear, does it hurt anywhere right now?"

"I guess my leg a little, but it's not too bad…"

The rabbit nodded her head, she continued checking on his appearance, finally, she asked a rather important question. "Tails, could I take your bandages off, we're not sure how bad that incision is…"

The fox hesitated for a second, but then nodded. Bunnie carefully began to remove some of the cloth bandages that covered his chest, as she got a first layer off, she noticed the second layer had a large bloody patch in its center, directly over where the injury would be.

She gently removed the second layer of bandages, taking care not to injure Tails in the process. After the last bit was gone, she finally got a good look at the grisly sight that lay before her. A long incision into the fox's fur was clearly visible, especially due to the bloodstained fur that surrounded it. She gently moved her hand down to it and peered inside, which wasn't much better. Some of the blood had started to clot, but it was still really bad, that was definitely going to need surgery, and more than a few stitches…

She backed away and gently placed a set of fresh bandages around his chest, "You did great Tails," She told him. "Didn't even move!"

The kitsune smiled, still most likely not grasping the full extent of his own injuries. Bunnie made her way out of the room and out of earshot, where the rest of the Freedom Fighters were assembled.

"It's bad, he's going to need surgery, like serious stuff."

"But we can't do that!" Sonic responded, "I mean, the most experienced with this stuff is Rotor-"

"And that's a bit beyond my comfort zone…" The walrus responded.

Sally sighed, "Well, Rotor, I think you know what you're doing today, right? That thing needs to come off…"

"I know Sal, although I don't like it."

"I don't think any of us want to Rotor, but it has to be done…"

The walrus nodded, "I think it's about time, he had his first dose of painkillers today, it should be in his system by now. I'll get ready."

Sonic followed behind as the walrus made his way to the infirmary, where he found Tails' room, before entering however, he turned to Sonic.

"I'm going to need you to leave before I do this, you can see he before, but once I tell you, I need you out."

"I'm not just leaving him!"

"You have to, it's going to hurt, even with the painkillers, I don't want you doing anything brash because he's in pain."

Sonic sighed, "Alright, I'm still going to see him before."

"Please do, it'll get him to relax a bit."

Sonic followed him into the room and found Tails where he had been yesterday, the kitsune did appear to be a little bit more alert, but Sonic knew what was about to happen, and the fox's enthusiasm for seeing him drilled a hole in his heart.

"Hey Sonic."

"Hey bud, how you feeling today?"

"A little better, everything still hurts though…"

"Sorry to hear that, I wish there was something I could do to help."

"You're already doing enough by coming to see me. Even if I do know why you're here…"

"Then what is it?"

"Rotor's here to cut off what's left of my leg…"

At that sentence, the two other Mobians felt a pit develop in their stomachs, Tails knew about it.

"Tails, bud, we didn't want you to find out, we thought it'd make it so you didn't want to."

"You always forget I have sensitive hearing, even though I'm stuck in this bed, I can still hear what's going on outside. And, I knew it had to happen eventually…" The fox continued, pulling the sheets off of him and exposing what was left of his leg. "I understand we're not going to be able to save it…"

"Tails bud I'm sorry, I didn't want to alarm you…"

"Its alright, let's just, get this over with…"

Rotor took this as the moment where it was time to get started, he told Sonic to leave the room and prepared a surgical saw, he strapped the kit down to his bed and instantly, the kitsune began to have a panic attack, hyperventilating as the memories from his imprisonment started to rush back to him.

"Tails. I'm just doing this for your own safety. I don't want you thrashing around and hurting yourself. I know you don't like it, especially after what Robotnik did to you, but you're going to be ok…" He reassured, repeating the last bit of his statement. Slowly but surely, the kit calmed down as he was fully secured.

Rotor slowly lowered the saw to the edge of the infected area, "Tails, this is going to hurt. It's ok if you scream or cry."

The kitsune nervously nodded and closed his eyes in anticipation. Rotor placed the saw to his exposed skin, and pulled back.

All Tails knew was pain, he screamed at the top of his lungs as the blade moved back and forth across his skin, severing it from his body. It was the most pain he had ever felt at once, including when his leg had been removed for the first time by Robotnik.

Speaking of which, as almost a cruel form of punishment, the pain triggered memories of the first time, which surged through his skull like lightning.

_"Please! Anything else! Anything!"_

_"Tell me what I want to know, and I'll stop, but otherwise…"_

_"I- I…"_

_"You what?"_

_"I won't tell you…"_

_"Well then, you know what happens."_

Tails snapped back to reality and the pain which he was going through and screamed anew, pain overwhelming his body until mercifully, he passed out…

Sonic heard the scream from across Freedom HQ, all the other team members, who were gathered in the living room, turned their heads as the sound of Tails' screaming reached their ears. Sonic wanted nothing more then for it to stop, he could almost feel the pain Tails was going through, and he wanted nothing more then to be there for him.

Sally grimaced, she had seen Tails almost like her son, and knowing what she was going through completely destroyed her emotionally, without knowing, she began to cry.

"Sal, he'll be alright." Bunnie responded, noticing her distress. "He's a tough kid."

"I know, I just- We shouldn't have let this happen to him in the first place…"

"We tried Sal, but nothing we did worked."

The team sat in silence as the voice ceased for a moment before starting anew, seemingly louder the second time around. Every Freedom Fighter wished there was something they could do to help, but none more then Rotor.

Rotor felt incredibly guilty, causing so much pain to the kit, he was rather happy when the fox finally passed out, as at least now, he wouldn't be in any more pain. At least, not until he woke up.

Tails had only been unconscious for a few moments before he came back to his senses, screaming out one final time, Rotor finished his procedure and quickly wrapped the new cut with bandages to stop the bleeding that was now occurring. Blood flowed out of the new wound like a tap, trickling down to the floor beneath him. Tails heart rate began to slowly drop.

"Tails stay with me, ok!?"

The blank expression on the kit's face and the glazed over look in his eyes however said otherwise. He quickly turned to his medical supplies and found nothing that would help stop the flow any more then he had, and what he had currently done wasn't enough.

In desperation, he tried to create a truncate out of bandages by tightly wrapping them around the fox's leg. Mercifully, it seemed to work and did stop a good chunk of the bleeding. Rotor let out a sigh of relief as mercifully, the kit's heartrate began to stabilize.

Tails had long since passed out from exhaustion and low blood pressure when Sonic burst into his room, his eyes going wide at the amount of blood present on the bed and the floor of the room.

He made his way in where Rotor was busy checking his vitals. "Is all of this Tails'!?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah… It's a lot more then I would have thought. Somebody's going to have to keep an eye on him from now on…"

"Why's that?"

"Because I almost lost him…"

Sonic felt his whole world shatter at that sentence, he had unknowingly been so close to losing his best friend and little brother. Tails meant the world to him, and knowing that the fox had just had a close brush with death, along with the imagery of a blood covered infirmary room and Tails on the edge of death would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Rotor gathered himself and grabbed a needle and thread from the nearby table, before setting it back down. He had debated on trying to fix his chest injuries while he was here, but considering how much blood he had just lost, he'd rather not press his luck, plus, he wasn't the best at it anyways.

"Well," Rotor began. "He'll hopefully be awake in the next little bit, probably feel a bit off from the blood, but otherwise, it should have dealt with the infection rather well, we're going to try and keep it clean so it doesn't happen again.

Sonic nodded, "I'll just be here, I want to see him when he wakes up."

"Alright, I'll put you on first watch then."

The walrus left the room and Sonic pulled a chair to the side of the bed and waited…

The first thing that Tails did when he woke up a few hours later, was scream. He had passed out because of severe pain, and as such, his nerves were freaking out. Sonic instantly noticed this and calmed him down. The fox was left out of breath and for some reason, was a bit lightheaded.

"You did great Tails," Sonic began. "Honestly, I don't know of anybody else your age that would have done as well as you did."

"Y- Yeah…"

Sonic frowned, "Tails, you're shuddering. You only do that when you're nervous, what's wrong?"

"I- It's just, I had that memory come back… When Robotnik-"

"It's alright bud, he can't hurt you anymore, I'll make sure of that."

"But, I'm not going to be able to come with you guys any more! I can't even walk!"

The fox burst into tears, Sonic gently grabbed the distraught kit's hand. "Tails, you're the smartest kid I know, if anybody can fix this, It'll be you! I honestly can't wait until you're back with us, just take some time off ok? You lost a leg for crying out loud, it's ok, we're not going anywhere."

The fox wiped the tears out of his eyes, and weakly smiled. "Alright, thanks Sonic…"

"No problem bud." Sonic responded, pulling the kit into a hug, from which the fox slowly returned. Sonic could care less about the blood on his fur, what mattered was that Tails was his brother, and nobody was going to change that…

**Alright everybody, that's it for this chapter, a bit more lighthearted, but still rather grisly. Let me know what you thought! Until next time!**


	3. Sweet Freedom

**Hello everybody! Geez you seemed to really enjoy last chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! I've got a pile of reviews so I'm not going to waste any more time!**

**Guest: Pretty much, it did go much more into detail about the gruesome bits. He's certainly affected by all this.**

**Obliviblur: It certainly hurt, and I wanted you guys as the readers to be able to feel Tails' pain and what he was going through, at least a little bit. When Sonic gets his hands on Robotnik, I don't think it's going to end well.**

**Wedgely: He's certainly got resolve, I don't think there's much Robotnik can do to faze him, which we'll cover in this chapter! Everybody wanted to do something, but they didn't know what, and Rotor didn't want anybody near the kit while surgery was happening for fear of making it worse.**

**SuperTailsFan0812: I figured it was about time that Tails got some emotional release, especially after what he's been through.**

**Spider10: He got it originally cut off before the events of the story, as covered in chapter one. We got a glimpse of the event in chapter two however, and I don't think things like that just go away!**

**Hjue44: I didn't just want to have the physical side of things, anybody can write that and somewhat get away with it, as you've read some of my other stuff, you'll know I like tackling some of the mental and physiological stuff as well, injuries aren't only physical after all!**

**Alright guys let's get going!**

**Waves**

_**Sweet Freedom**_

A couple of hours had passed since Tails' surgery. Since then, all the Freedom Fighters had come in to check on how the fox was doing. His consensus was always similar, that he was feeling much better after the procedure, simply because the burning pain in his leg was now gone, replaced by a somewhat numb sensation.

Mentally however, he was still somewhat stressed. The surgery had opened back up dozens of repressed memories from his time captured in Robotropolis. From the torture and pain he underwent, to the crippling loneliness and depression. Of course, he tried to hide this from the others, there was no point in making them even more concerned.

Speaking of which, Sonic was most concerned for the kit's health, so much so that he was unwilling to leave the infirmary where the fox was currently at. The kit was still tied to an IV drip and blood transfusion to ensure that he would remain stable for the time being. Though he seemed physically exhausted and he had lost most of his voice from screaming.

Despite this, he still seemed quite compassionate, and it felt odd to have his much attention directed at him.

Currently, the fox was fast asleep in his bed, the heart monitor that was hooked up to his wrist showed a slow but steady heartbeat. The fact that he was event still alive was a miracle, however, his chest cavity would still have to be addressed. It was decided that it would be looked at it once he had recovered a bit, but until then, it was to be kept clean, with the bandages changed out once a day.

Sonic watched the slow rise and fall of the kit's chest intently. As he was about to allow himself to browse amongst his thoughts, the door opened, and Sally peeked her head in.

"Is he asleep?" Sally asked.

"Yeah, you can come in. He's exhausted."

She nodded her head and quietly closed the door behind her. "Anything happen yet, I mean after you know."

"Not really, he'll shift every once in a while, but otherwise he seems fine. Well, as fine as he can get anyways."

"That's good," Sally responded. "I just can't help but feel bad for him."

"I think all of us do Sal. I just wish there was something we could have done, maybe I should have stayed with him on the raid he was captured, or maybe we should have dedicated to getting him out instead of the cautious approach we took."

Sally sighed, "Yeah, I know... I wanted there to be something, but I'm not sure what we're going to do now, especially since he doesn't have a leg."

Suddenly, a faint voice was heard, "Sally? Is that you?"

The two looked over at the infirmary bed and found that Tails had opened his eyes just barely, seemingly unable to have the strength to open them any more than they already were. The kit's voice was raspy and faint, but somehow managed to sound as cheery as ever.

Sally smiled, "Yes, it's me Tails. Sonic's here as well, we're just checking up on how you're doing."

"I'm doing fine, just a bit sleepy..." The kit responded, letting out a yawn. "How long was I out?"

"A couple hours," Sonic responded. "You seem like you slept well."

"Yeah..." Tails responded, before pausing. "Sonic, I have a question..."

"Ask away bud, what is it?"

"I want to see something; is there any way you could take me outside?"

Sally and Sonic exchanged worried glances. Sal was the first to try and respond.

"Tails, I'm not sure if-"

"I'm sure it'd be fine bud, as long as we get back quickly."

Sally shot the hedgehog a glare out of the corner of her vision, Tails simply smiled.

"Thanks, do you know if we could get some of this off me?"

"You'd better know what you're doing..." Sally whispered under her breath to Sonic, as she moved to detach some of the cables connected to the fox.

As she finished, Sonic picked up the kitsune and carried him out of the infirmary. Ignoring the surprised expressions of the other Freedom Fighters and electing to let Sally do the explaining, he carried the kit up the ladder until they were on the surface, where he placed his surrogate brother on his shoulders.

"Alright bud!" Sonic began. "Where we headed?"

"Do you know that cliff? Where I go to relax?"

Sonic sighed, "You could have just told me that was where you wanted to head bud!"

The hedgehog darted off; Tails seemed to be enjoying the sensation of the wind in his face. It reminded him of when he was just a little kid, after he had met Sonic that is, they would do this kind of stuff all the time.

The hedgehog arrived at his destination, a clifftop overlooking the ocean. The sunlight gently reflected off the untouched ocean water as waves splashed against the rocks below. He set the kitsune down at the base of a singular tree that stood atop the outcropping.

Tails had discovered this place years ago, and it was somewhere he could go to just get away from everything and to relax and focus. He especially loved listening to the sounds of the water impacting the rocks below, adding a soothing white noise to the scenery.

The kitsune closed his eyes at the base of the tree and allowed his mind to wander. After a moment, his thoughts were interrupted by Sonic.

"Hey bud, so what's on your mind? You only come here when you've got something to think about..."

"I'm just wondering what I'm going to do after all this is over, and about what happened with Robotnik."

There was a silence that followed for a moment, before Sonic spoke again. "Tails, you know that I won't let him hurt you again. Right?"

"Yeah, it's just something I can't get out of my head..."

"Also, you know you could have just told him Tails. We could have always made another Knothole somewhere."

The kitsune chuckled, "I know that, I didn't tell him because that would put you guys in danger. You're my family!"

"You're our family too Tails, though I'm sure you've figured that out by now! I just can't bear to see you get hurt."

"I'll be fine Sonic, really! It just makes me happy to know you're all here though..."

They both smiled and continued relaxing for a while. After a moment however Sonic spoke again, "Hey bud, do you have any plans for what to do to fix that leg of yours?"

"I've got some ideas, but most of them are going to be difficult."

"Hey, if anybody can do it, it's you bud!"

The kitsune blushed at the compliment, "Stop... Please, you don't need to flatter me..."

Sonic smiled mischievously, "Plus you're so nice, smart, caring..."

The pink color on Tails face turned a bright red as he tried his best to accept the compliments he was given.

"Finally," Sonic continued. "You're really cute when you blush, you know that?"

The last comment seemed to only multiply the kit's embarrassment. "I- I'm not cute."

"That's right, you're adorable!"

Tails burst out laughing at the final statement, "Alright, alright, you got me!"

The two of them shared a laugh, "There's the Tails I know!" Sonic responded, "So what if you can't walk right now? You're my little bro, and that isn't going to change!"

Their laughter died down and they sat in silence for a bit longer, listening to the crashing of the waves and enjoying the scenery. Eventually, Sonic stood up. "Well, I think it's about time he headed back, everyone is probably wondering where we went."

Tails nodded and allowed Sonic to pick him up and place the kit on his shoulders again. The two of them dashed back to Knothole and descended back into the compound, where they were immediately hounded by Sally.

"Where have you two been? You've been missing for two hours! I thought it was just going to be a short trip!"

"Relax Sal!" Sonic responded, "We just went for a walk to relax! Tails just wanted some fresh air."

Sally sighed, "Alright, well I'm going to give him his checkup for the day. Plus, he needs his bandages replaced."

Sonic and Tails both nodded as the trio traveled back to the infirmary and Sonic gently set Tails back down on his bed.

Sally took the liberty of hooking the kit back up to his medical systems as Sonic left the room.

"So, how was it Tails?" Sally asked.

"Good, there's a bit of pain in my chest, but it was worth it."

"That's nice to hear, now let me see those bandages."

The kit's chest hadn't improved much, all Sally could do for the time being was replace the bandages and try to figure out a time they could perform proper surgery on it. She wrapped the injury carefully, making sure to not tighten it too much.

After she was finished, she ruffled the bangs on the kitsune's head. "Now get some rest, you need it."

Tails weakly nodded, he had started to feel drowsy anyways and so he quickly dozed off.

Sally walked out of the infirmary and tracked down Sonic. "Do you have any idea how dangerous what you did was?" She began.

"Relax, I had it under control!"

"Under Control!? What if you dropped him? What if he hit something? What if some of Robotnik's forces found you? Then what?"

"I'd trash them like I usually do!"

Sally sighed, "It's not you I'm concerned about Sonic, I know Tails is acting like he's all better, but he's still really hurt. After he's alright, you two can do all the catching up you want. But until then, just be careful with him, ok?"

"Alright Sal, I get what you're saying, I'll be careful."

"Please do, for Tails' sake."

There was a silence between them for a minute, Sonic eventually responded. "I wish you could have seen him Sal, for a bit, the real Tails came back, I can't be the only one who's noticed he's been a bit depressed recently."

"I think we've all noticed Sonic, and if you think it helps to go out occasionally, I'm not going to stop you. But please keep it to a minimum and be careful with him. He did seem a bit happier when you guys came back, you mean a lot to him you know."

"You do too! Tails told me that the only reason he didn't let Knothole slip is because he didn't want to see us get hurt."

Sally didn't respond for a moment, "That sounds like something he would do. Just don't do anything too crazy with him. Got it?"

The hedgehog nodded and the two went their separate ways, curious as to how everything would unfold...

**Alright everybody, that's it for today! I wanted something fluffier after what all the characters have been though! I hope you all enjoyed it! Until next time!**


	4. Blank

**Hello everybody! It's time for another update to this story! I've got reviews so let's not waste any time!**

**Obliviblur: Yes, I did see what you did there! As for the review, while Sally could be slightly overprotective, I think it might be somewhat justified! The vacation however did certainly help!**

**SuperTailsFan0812: He's certainly better after the operation and quite a bit of rest, however, it's still not perfect. As for the amputation itself, I did want it to be rather gruesome, as there wasn't really any other way I could have put it!**

**Spider10: Sonic does care for Tails, I think showed that last chapter. But that doesn't mean he can get him out of every single situation, you'll get more insight this chapter!**

**Alright, let's get going!**

**Waves**

_**Blank**_

Two days had passed since Tails had last been allowed to leave his hospital bed, especially with his fragile state. However, with constant supervision, he was noticeably getting better. He seemed to have more energy and was much more aware then usual. Tails was busy with his own thoughts in his medical room, fiddling with the bandages on his chest subconsciously when Sonic entered the room. The fox was instantly beaming with excitement.

"Hey bud!" Sonic began, "How's my favorite fox doing?"

"I'm good, I can't wait to be out of here..."

"Same here bud, I mean, I think it's about time you got back on your feet, metaphorically of course!"

Tails snickered at the comment, Sonic noticed this and looked at the kitsune, giving him a mischievous smile. "You know, considering you can't go anywhere. I think it's about time for this!"

Sonic stuck his hand against the fox's side and began to lightly tickle him. The kitsune tried his best to resist, but eventually, burst out in laughter.

"Haha, Sonic! Stop!" The fox responded, his sentence being interrupted by laughter.

Sonic continued despite the kit's protests, that was, until the fox started coughing.

Even after Sonic stopped, the violent coughs still continued, until they were accompanied by something Sonic didn't want to accept.

Red particles sprayed out of Tails mouth as blood made it's way into his throat. The kitsune was instantly overwhelmed with panic, as he wasn't sure what to do, and Sonic wasn't much better. The hedgehog's only instinct was to try and get somebody who knew what they were doing to help.

The speedster dashed out of the room and burst into the main area, where Antoine and Rotor were currently. "Something's wrong with Tails!"

The other two Freedom Fighters were instantly on high alert as they followed a distressed and panicked Sonic into the infirmary. Tails' coughing had only gotten worse, with blood practically flowing out of his mouth as he attempted to expel it from his airways. Worse then that, it was now starting to give him the sensation of drowning as the fox gasped for air, which only worsened his coughing as he swallowed more blood.

"That's, not good." Rotor spoke in pure shock, rushing over and grabbing his surgical tools. While the walrus wasn't comfortable doing surgery on the kitsune, it seemed now there wasn't going to be much of an option.

The only thing he could do now was hope and pray that whatever abilities that he had would be enough to save him.

Antoine rushed out of the room, while he didn't have expertise in this field, he knew that Bunnie had a decent amount, and the same went for Sally. He was going to find them and get them here as soon as possible.

Sonic rushed over and pulled the kitsune into a hug, "Tails I'm so sorry, just stay with me alright! I don't know what I'm going to do with myself if you-"

The kitsune however, was somewhat absentminded, as Rotor had just injected him with more painkillers, and the lack of proper circulation and air was doing a number on his mental state. Eventually, the kitsune couldn't find the energy to keep his eyes open, just as the door to the room burst open...

**-X-**

Tails slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in a pure white abyss. He racked his brain for any recollection of what had happened only to find that his mind was... Blank...

No memories surfaced, not of who he was, nor where he came from, just the name 'Tails' was all.

He looked down at his body, admiring himself. As he did, the white around him dissolved turning into a scene that seemed familiar somehow...

It was himself, along with several others he didn't recognize... A chipmunk, rabbit, walrus, coyote, and a hedgehog. They appeared to be in some form of city, again, one that was unfamiliar to himself. It contained towering gray sky rises, and seemed rather polluted...

The scene played out in front of him as he watched, trying his best to collect whatever information he could from it.

The group advanced into the city, deciding to split up and perform some recognizance on anything that could be considered a valuable target. Each member was handed a small explosive charge including himself.

"Tails, you're with me." The hedgehog told him.

"Come on Sonic! I can handle myself! We've done this a thousand times!"

_"Sonic?"_ Tails thought to himself, _"Why is that so familiar?"_

"You're with me, I don't want you getting hurt." Sonic responded.

I noticed the chipmunk watching our conversation with a contemplative expression on her face, as if she was trying to predict the outcome. Her demeanor showed that this kind of discussion was a relatively normal occurrence, as if she had seen this hundreds if not thousands of times.

"But why?" The kitsune complained, "I can do it!" The fox then followed this by gazing up into the hedgehog's eyes, begging for the chance to prove himself.

Sonic sighed, "Alright fine… Just be careful!"

The kitsune in the memory practically beamed with excitement, "Thank you! I promise I'll be careful!" His memory self ran off as the scene faded back into his mind.

Tails was now even more confused then when he had started, "What was that? That didn't give me any answers, just more questions!" He thought, "Think Tails, think!"

As he searched his memories, another one arose, the white around him once again being replaced, this time four gray walls surrounding him. As the memory mad it's impact on his mind, Tails felt the sensation of pain and fear make it's way into his mind.

Laid in the middle of the relatively bare room was his memory self, somewhat worse for wear with his fur matted and several bruises across his arms, legs, and torso. It looked as if he had just been in a fight not too recently. The memory kitsune groaned and slowly arose to a sitting position, rubbing his temples. He scanned the room for a while, not finding anything of use, that was, until he heard footsteps in the hallway outside his bars.

Appearing in the opening was a large rotund man, clad in a yellow, red, and black uniform, a thick cape trailing behind his movements. As the figure appeared in his vision, Tails felt an overwhelming sensation of fear.

"Well, I do believe we've met before haven't we?" The man spoke, "You're friends with that miserable rodent Sonic, aren't you?"

His memory self simply cowered in fear, his pupils wide as he curled up defensively in a corner. "W- What do you want from me? Are you going to- to-"

"Not at all! In fact, I have a special use for you… Do think I haven't see you and Sonic, and I know killing you would do quite the blow to him emotionally. But I'm looking for something more, something of mine that you have…" The voice cut into him like knives, eating at every insecurity and vulnerability.

"W- What it is?"

"Now I pondered over this for quite and while, and I raised myself this one question, 'Why would a group of guerilla fighters bring a child with them?' At first, I had no idea, aside from your relationship to Sonic, and I had initially assumed you were a fan of theirs. However, as I witnessed more and more I figured you meant something important to them. So much so that they would want to keep you safe, somewhere where I could never find you… What better place then Knothole… You know where it is, don't you?"

Tails quivered in terror, especially now that he knew what Robotnik was up to. The door to the cell flew open and by the time Tails had risen to his shaky feet, Robotnik had seized him by the neck and pinned him against the wall, their faces only inches apart. "You're going to tell me what you know…" The man continued, "Or you'll wish you were dead..."

The memory ended and instantly, Tails was met with a tidal wave of thoughts as his entire mind returned to him. Everything flooded back within the span of a few seconds… Who he was, who the people in his memories were, and what had happened with Robotnik…

As he grappled with the new found knowledge, another image room over his mind, only this time, he knew it wasn't a memory.

Tails was looking down at himself, blood flowing from his mouth as Sally, Bunnie, and Rotor worked desperately to revive him. A slow pulsing tone from the heart monitor made up a good amount of noise in the room as everything else was a blur of medical equipment and tears.

Sonic however, looked positively dead. He sat in the corner of the room knees to his chest as tears streamed down his face. Tails was somewhat taken aback by this, he had never seen Sonic cry before…

The kitsune took a good look at his own body and grimaced in response, his chest had been practically torn open by the other Freedom Fighters, and he could see his own blood continuing to flow out from his chest cavity and onto the floor below, leaving a rather sizable puddle that even Tails himself was somewhat in shock from.

From what he could gather from the other Freedom Fighters, apparently one of his lungs had been punctured rather severely. Mostly as a result of one of his broken ribs making direct contact and piercing though it's outer lining. Tails watched on in fascination as well as disgust. As he did, a single solid tone overtook the noise in the room, this ensued further panic from the other five Freedom Fighters, especially Sonic, who looked on with sheer horror and fear in his eyes.

Tails at that moment, felt a tugging sensation, as if something was pulling him away from the scene before him. As he felt it, he initially tried to fight the sensation, but eventually submitted himself. As he did, he noticed Sally place something to his chest and after a moment. He felt a sharp yank and instantly, everything went white.

**-X-**

Sally had never wanted to use the defibrillator, she wished that it never would have come that far, that it would never have to be used on any of them, much less Tails. However, it had gotten to that point and without hesitation and with tears in her eyes, she fired the device.

To no avail…

In desperation, she fired again, this time, it seemed to work as the kitsune's heart restarted. Much to her relief, she set down the machine and sat in a corner, completely overwhelmed by grief. The events that had just occurred would be constantly burned into her memories and thoughts, but for now, it seemed like the fox was still somewhat stable. As after a few minutes, his heart continued to beat. Eventually, the kit slowly opened his eyes and was instantly met with a hug from all the other assembled Freedom Fighters.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Sally exclaimed, "We almost lost you Tails!"

The kitsune looked somewhat confused, shifting his gaze from one team member to the next. Eventually, when he did speak, the rest of the Freedom Fighters could only listen in horror as he asked one simple question. "Who- Who are you guys?"

**Alright everybody, that's it for today. I just have one quick announcement before I go, there's a new poll on my profile and it would be amazing of you guys if you could give it a look! Additionally, I have started a new collab with Obliviblur on his profile! I highly suggest checking it out! Until next time.**


	5. Void

**Hey everyone! It's time for another update here! I've got a handful of reviews so let's get started!**

**Obliviblur: Yeah, the chapter was a bit odd, but I'm glad you liked it! We'll have to see just how severe Tails' memory loss is and how his condition improves!**

**Wedgely: Considering the circumstances, I'd say he is pulling something out of nothing. The group doesn't have anything they would need to properly deal with this so they're improvising with what they do have!**

**SuperNaturalSonicFan: I'm glad you like it, I wanted to try a different tone from how my stories usually go and it's been turning out great so far!**

**Sonicfanandotherstuff: He's certain to be confused, especially with what's happened recently!**

**SuperTailsFan0812: It's certainly not the expected outcome, but he's not dead! So that's always a bonus! **

**Let's get going!**

**Waves**

_**Void**_

"Who are you guys?"

None of the Freedom Fighters knew how much that sentence could hurt right now, especially accompanied with the confused look on the kit's face.

"W- We're your friends Tails." Sonic responded, "Come on, you remember me, right?"

The kit seemed to rack his brain but still came up blank, Sonic didn't need a response, as the stare he was given by the kit answered his question enough. The hedgehog burst into tears and dashed out of the room, leaving a very somber tone in his wake.

"I'll go get him," Sally began, chasing after the hedgehog. Bunnie seemed to be a bit more accepting of what had happened, and began to introduce the remaining team members.

"Tails, this is Rotor, Antoine, and my name's Bunnie. Do you remember any of that?"

"N- No… There's not much there, which is weird because it feels like there should be…"

Rotor mused over his response, trying to come up with his own theory as to what had happened to the fox's memories.

"That's ok," Bunnie continued. "What do you remember?"

"I remember… My name… This room, though I don't know how I got here… And I have some memories of pain, just pain."

"Well, that's a start. I promise, we'll help you get your memories back. Rotor, what you thinking?"

"I've got a theory," The walrus responded. "Mind you I'm not a professional here, but I might know how to fix this. When Tails had his episode just barely, he couldn't breath. That was one thing in particular I noticed, it's possible that the lack of oxygen intake messed with his brain and as a result, skewed his memories."

"What are ya suggesting?"

"I'm saying that the memories are still there, we just need to… Jog his mind a bit."

"You- You're not going to h- hurt me are you?" The kitsune asked, curling up with his namesakes defensively in front of him.

"No, No! Tails it's alright, we're not going to hurt you?"

"T- Then what's with all the b- blood?"

Bunnie mulled the question over in her head, she had to admit, waking up in a room surrounded by blood and people you don't know, all while not understanding how you got there has got to be a bit suspicious. "Here, let me show you."

Before she could do anything however, the kitsune flinched backward. "J- Just stay away!" He responded, flattening his ears to his head.

"Hun, I'm not going to hurt ya. I just want to explain."

The quivering kutsune slowly seemed to relax and eventually allowed Bunnie near him, though he kept a very close eye on her.

Bunnie gently unwrapped the kitsune's chest, exposing his injuries. "We tried to help you, you got hurt, really hurt, and we tried to save your life. We did, but apparently you lost your memories somewhere along there, we'll help you get them back!"

"A- Alright… Where do we start?"

**-X-**

Sonic meanwhile, was having an emotional breakdown. While normally he was rather good at controlling his emotions, the fact that his little brother didn't even recognize him had broke everything. As he sat in the briefing room, his head in his hands, he became aware of a set of footsteps approaching behind him. "Go away…"

"Sonic," He heard the voice of Sally begin. "I know this has got to be hard on you."

"Hard on me? Tails was my family! Now he doesn't even recognize me! Do you have any idea how much that hurts? The time we had spent together vanished just like that? All because I was stupid and couldn't wait until he was better?"

Sally was somewhat taken aback by the hedgehog's statements. "Sonic, this isn't your fault."

"Yes it is! This is all my fault, I didn't listen to you, I knew I shouldn't have been that rough with him. But I still was, and look where that got me! I lost my brother! I promised that I wouldn't let him get hurt, and I was the one that made this happen! I should never have let him go on his own! I wasn't there for him!"

Sally sat down next to him, placing her arm around his shoulder. The two didn't talk for a while, with the only sound being that of Sonic's quiet sobs. After some time had passed, Sally spoke again. "I can't even imagine what you're going through right now Sonic. I know Tails meant a lot to you, but this isn't your fault. It's because of Robotnik that he's like this. If anything blame him, or blame the rest of us for not being able to help more. But this is anything but your fault, you were just doing what you thought was best for Tails, and I can't blame you for that. He's a tough kid, he'll pull through one way or another."

Sonic's emotions seemed to settle down, and the hedgehog's stern exterior started to come back into place. "Thanks Sal… I really needed that right now."

"I get it, you're just concerned. The rest of us are too Tails means a lot to me as well. He reminds me of myself when I was a kid, before Robotnik that is… I don't think any of us meant to let this happen. But we just have to accept that it did, and make the most of it."

"See Sal, this is why you're in charge." Sonic remarked, a slight smile appearing on his face.

"You good?"

"Yeah."

"Say it."

Sonic rolled his eyes in amusement, "I'm good Sal."

"You ready to head back?"

"I think so."

The two stood up and returned to the infirmary, there they found Bunnie trying her best to talk to an obviously frightened kitsune. The fox flinched backward as the two of the entered the room, and his heart rate noticeably increased. The pulsing noise that accompanied his pulse increasing in speed and intensity.

"Tails, they're friends," Bunnie told him. "They're not going to hurt you."

The kit looked at the two newcomers curiously as Sonic made his way over to the side of the infirmary bed. "We figured out what's up with him?"

"Well, we have a theory." Rotor responded.

"What's that?"

"Now I'm not a professional, so this is just a guess. But when he passed out, Tails was without oxygen for about three minutes. Because of that, his brain wasn't getting enough oxygen and it started to shut off. Now that he can breath however, the effects of that shut down are apparent. I'm hoping his memories are still there in some capacity, maybe we could restore them."

"Any ideas how that would work?" Sally asked.

"Well," Antoine began. "The thought it we would need to jog his memory. Somehow bring up the lost ones."

Sonic contemplated what they were saying, suddenly and idea popped into his head. "How, stable is he?"

"He should be fine. Why?" Bunnie responded.

"Could we unhook him, I've got an idea."

"Are you insane!? Absolutely not!" Rotor replied, anger tinting his voice. "Saying he's stable and fine to get around are two very different things. Having him out of here is a risk I'm not willing to take!"

By now, the kitsune in question was somewhat terrified. Trembling as he hid behind his namesakes. He allowed Bunnie to gently console him as the two continued.

"What do you mean!? He looks healthy! Sure he lost his memories, but the only way they're going to come back is if we let them!"

"And what if it doesn't work!? I'm not a professional on this! It's just what I think could help, there's a chance they'll just come back on their own, have you considered that!?"

"I have Rotor, and there's no reason for us to sit around doing nothing!"

"What if it doesn't work? We have to consider that, if it doesn't work, you'll be risking his life for nothing!"

"I know it'll work Rotor! It… It has to…"

Rotor sighed, "I'm sorry, it's not happening, not anytime soon."

The Freedom Fighters that had assembled almost swore they could have seen the pure contempt in Sonic's eyes as he stormed out of the room.

The walrus sighed after a short silence, "You know I didn't want to do that Sally, right?"

"I do, I agree. Tails isn't going to get better as fast as he can run. I think the best we can hope for now is that he understands that too."

"Even then, I'm still not sure I trust him. You know how Sonic is! He's probably planning to sneak him out of here right now."

"So we don't let him. We'll take night shifts. I'll start, maybe I can get him to remember something while I'm at it."

"You're certainly welcome to try."

**Alright everyone, slightly shorter chapter then usual today, but that's because I simply needed it to end off here for a reason! Let me know you thoughts! Until next time!**


	6. Survivors Guilt

**Hey everybody! Sorry for the long wait on this chapter, with the Christmas season, I've had my time pretty full! Let's get going!**

**Wedgely: He's a very cool headed person, not really letting his emotions or panic get in the way of having some logical thought! He's been very fun to write!**

**Obliviblur: You'll have to read to find out what happens! What ever it is, hopefully it's enjoyable!**

**That's everything!**

**Waves**

_**Survivors Guilt**_

Sonic was naturally angry about being told off. He cared for Tails' health just as much as they did. The kitsune was his life, and knowing that all their memories with each other had potentially been erased, it made his normally impenetrable exterior crack and allowed pure raw emotion shine through.

Currently the hedgehog paced back and forth across the shared meeting room. He was trying to get his mind off Tails, but doing so was proving to be exceptionally difficult. He sighed, it wasn't any use. Regardless of what came to mind, his thoughts of the kit weren't too far behind. He hated being powerless to do anything to help him, even if he did understand why Rotor didn't want him moving the kitsune.

It wasn't that he didn't care, it was that seeing Tails in the state he was with no freedom of his own was so painful to the hedgehog. He tried to keep his mind off of the topic of Tails' leg as best as he could… Sometimes however, it would manage to break through and he'd be forced to acknowledge the extent of his injuries. Tails wouldn't walk again… Even if he did, there would still be a long period of time where he would have to get used to a bionic limb. It was going to be a long and tedious process, one that he wasn't sure anybody here was prepared for…

As he continued to pace, the door opened and Bunnie peeked her head in, "It's getting late, you ought' to start getting to bed."

"I will, just give me a second…"

Bunnie, sensing his unease, agreed and gently closed the door behind her. Sonic continued with his nervous pacing, but eventually grew tired himself. He retired to his bed, not prepared for the horrors that awaited him there.

Sonic found himself amidst Robotropolis' buildings. Not thinking much of it at the time, he charged into the city and began to destroy every machine that got in his way. Anger began to consume his thoughts as he grew closer and closer to Robotnik's chamber. The tyrant would pay for what he had done…

As he approached, the throne room. Things began to change, the walls began to give way to brown tree bark, and gray clouds began to converge overhead. Sonic suddenly found himself in a clearing in the Great Forest, or at least what he assumed to be the Forest. A powerful thunderstorm had picked up, completely showering the place in rain as bolts of lightning flashed overhead.

The hedgehog slowed down to a walk, he was a bit confused by exactly how he had gotten here, as he looked around. He made a very sudden realization. These trees didn't occur in the Great Forest, or at least, any part of it he was familiar with…

As he thought it over a bit longer, he came to a rather startling realization. He wasn't in the Great Forest, in fact, he wasn't even on the main land.

Sonic had somehow found himself back on Westside Island…

Panic began to overtake the hedgehog's thoughts. As it did, the storm seemed to worsen, with the wind quickly picking up.

With nowhere else to go, the hedgehog decided to see if he could find a way out of this, he went to dash off but as he did, he felt something… It almost felt as if he was being watched…

As the hedgehog slowly turned around, he found himself face to face with Tails, but not as the hedgehog remembered him… The fur on his chest had been stained a deep crimson, he was covered in scars and dried mud, his mouth area had several red stained spots around it, and his leg appeared mutilated almost beyond recognition; dried blood lined the wound, and the kit's muscles and bone were visible beneath the black infected splotches and orange fur. As he took as step back, the fox took one towards him, the kit's leg muscles visibly tightening through the gaping holes in his skin. As he did, the kitsune spoke, "Sonic? Why are you here?"

Paralyzed with fear and horror at the almost zombie like figure before him. He found himself searching for a response, before he could give one however, the kit spoke again. "Why did you leave me? Why didn't you want to help me? Why did you let this happen?"

Sonic tried his best to tune it out, but was unable to tear his thoughts away, Tails was like this because of him… It was all his fault that Tails was the way he was.

"Buddy…" He began, "I didn't mean for-"

"I know you didn't, but it still happened, didn't it? I'll never be able to walk again because of you, do you have any idea how important that was to me?" After the kit spoke, several coughs made their way out of the kitsune's mouth, each one carrying blood with it.

"I do Tails! It's just-"

"You've never understood! You only care about yourself and how you look to others, isn't that right!? Because of that, you've let your best friend get hurt, just so you could look like a hero!"

"Th- That's not true! I never wanted this!"

"What about your promise!? You promised me that you'd never let Robotnik hurt me, now look where I'm at!"

"I know, and I'm sorry!" The hedgehog responded, his tears mixing with the rainfall.

"Sorry doesn't cut it! Saying sorry won't fix anything! I trusted you! Is this what my trust gets!?"

Sonic wasn't sure what to think, completely overwhelmed with guilt and sorrow, he wasn't sure where to go as the pit in his stomach only got worse. He ran off into the trees and after what felt like hours, the familiar grey walls of Robotropolis returned. He burst through the first set of doors he could find, only to come face to face with Robotnik. Behind him stood the robotic forms of the other Freedom Fighters. Tails was notably absent, but Sonic was secretly thankful for that as he was still unable to get the images of the horrifically injured kit out of his mind.

With anger taking over his actions entirely, the hedgehog charged the tyrant. The robotic bodyguards moved forward to protect their creator, almost instantly they were sawed in two. Sonic thrust the man to the ground, and was met with the deep, gravelly voice of Robotnik.

"Look at what you've become Sonic, someone who's willing to throw aside their friends, family, and morals just for the slightest hint of revenge… Look at what you've done to your friends!"

"You did this to them! You're at just as guilty as I am!"

The scientist smiled, "Well… Then where does that put you?"

Sonic's vision went red and without hesitation, he retrieved a metal shard from one of the destroyed robots and plunged it into the man's chest. He howled in pain as the weapon was driven deeper inside his skin until eventually, everything went silent.

In shock, the hedgehog stepped back and gazed down at his hands, his gloves now soaked with blood. "What have I done…" He thought aloud, he had killed his friends, and now had murdered Robotnik in cold blood. He had thrown himself away for vengeance and now, he had nothing to show for it...

As he fell to his knees in sorrow, he spotted the glint of the weapon in Robotnik's chest, he pulled it out, still dripping with fresh blood. As he stared at the weapon, a gruesome thought came to his mind. He turned the blade so that it faced himself, hesitated, and plunged it into his own stomach. Pain completely took over as he felt his strength leave his body. His vision blurred as he collapsed, gasping for air. Blood slowly poured out from the wound as he smiled to himself.

"I'm sorry, everyone… I'm so sorry…"

With that final sentence, everything went black…

**-X-**

While Sally wasn't quite sure how to approach Tails' memory loss, she knew there was no harm in trying, and because she was tasked with staying with him tonight, she figured she could maybe get at least a little progress.

The kitsune still appeared rather fearful of his surroundings and all in all, rather timid. He hid behind his namesakes for just under half of an hour after he had been left alone with Sally. Though he slowly began to warm up to her.

"S- So, you're Sally. Right?"

"You're right Tails! You're doing better at this!"

The kitsune blushed, "I mean, if you say so…"

"You still don't remember any of us, do you?"

"Not really… I mean, you all feel familiar, but I don't know from where…"

"That's progress, which is good. You'll have your memories back in no time!"

There was a comfortable silence between the two of them for a moment, Tails continued the conversation. "So where are you from? How do I know you?"

Sally thought over her answer for a bit before continuing, "Well I'm the princess of the kingdom we're in right now. But ever since a man by the name of Robotnik took over, I've been trying to get the people to fight back, and to tell him that we're not just going to let him take it."

"Is that why we're all here? So we don't get found by this Robotnik?"

"Exactly, he's also how you got hurt. He's made a lot of enemies, and one of these days it's going to get back at him."

"That's really cool! I wish I could help out!"

"You already have, you just don't remember it. In fact, you're probably one of the most talented out of us."

Tails felt a sense of pride and embarrassment wash over him, along with strangely, a faint pain in his head. As he noticed it, it seemed to get more and more powerful, so much so, that he threw his hands to his head, clutching his skull.

"Tails?" Sally asked, concern and fear tainting her voice. "Are you alright?"

Slowly but surely, the pain subsided. The kitsune stared blankly for a moment before seemingly coming back to himself, as he looked over at Sally, he smiled. "Aunt Sally?"

The other Mobian instantly had tears in her eyes as she pulled the fox into a hug. "Tails! Thank goodness you're back! What do you remember?"

"A lot more then before, I remember you, and how I got here… But I can still tell there's some things missing."

"It's improvement! I've got to tell Rotor and everybody about this, they're not going to believe it!"

She jumped to her feet and dashed out of the room and toward the main gathering area and kitchen As she turned the corner however, her excitement instantly turned to shock and horror. Here eyes went wide as she took in the scene before her, hoping and praying that what she currently had her eyes on wasn't true.

Sonic was on the floor in front of her, a knife stuck in his chest and a pool of blood had gathered around him. As her shock wore off, she quickly ran toward the living quarters and burst through the door, complete panic taking over her emotions.

Rotor was instantly on his feet, "Is Tails alright!? What happened!?" He frantically asked.

Sally tried to speak, but the lump in her throat prevented her from saying anything more than a single word, "Sonic!"

Rotor rushed out of the room, followed closely by Antoine, whom had heard the commotion. Bunnie had stayed in a attempt to console the distraught princess. As the walrus rounded the corner, he had shock overtake him as he suddenly knew what Sally had been trying to say. He quickly rushed over and examined the hedgehog. The stab wound looked bad, and as much as he didn't want to say it, the inevitable thought broke into his mind… This was intentional, and with nobody else around, there was only one conclusion…

Sonic had attempted to commit suicide…

**Alright everyone, I know this is a bit more of a gruesome chapter, but I figured that it was about time we had another one. Please let me know your thoughts, until next time.**


	7. Reconnecting

**Alright everybody, double update time! You know the drill by now so let's get going!**

**Wedgely: Yeah, I wanted there to be some serious whiplash on both ends. It certainly was as bit shocking!**

**SuperTailsFan0812: Happy late birthday, the chapter had to have been a interesting present.**

**Obliviblur: Normally he wouldn't be suicidal, but with Tails' memory loss, the emotions he's going through, blaming himself for everything that's happened, and the dream sequence; it was certainly enough to push him over the edge.**

**TheGameNguyener: I'm sorry to hear about what's happened to you, I hope you're doing better! I'm happy that you like this fic and you've certainly noticed that it's in much more mature territory then most of my fics are. It's something I've wanted to do for a bit, but I'll probably head back to my normal T rated fics after this one! I'm very happy you got to give this fic a look and I hope you'll enjoy!**

**Let's get started!**

**Waves**

**Reconnecting**

"We should have known this would happen…"

"Sal, I don't think anybody could have predicted this. You've gotta stop beating yourself up."

"I know, I could have helped him though! He talked with me about this whole thing, how he feels Tails is all his fault. He said he was alright, but I knew he was lying, I just didn't want to push it any more than I already had."

Sally was still somewhat in shock after discovering what she at the time thought to be Sonic's corpse. Even now, knowing that he'd live, it was still taking a considerable toll on her mental state.

Bunnie was very concerned about it as well. Normally, Sally was an anchor for the team, both physically and emotionally. Now, seeing her like this however, made her frightened for the princess's own wellbeing. Something that terrified her as the princess done was the fact that she might end up like Sonic had…

As the two sat in quiet contemplation, the door opened and Rotor peeked his head in.

"How is he?" Sally asked, somewhat dreading the answer.

"He's… Alright, he lost a lot of blood, and I've got his restrained so he doesn't do anything like that again. Tails seems concerned, but he isn't quite sure why, because he still doesn't remember Sonic."

"How's he doing?"

"Tails is fine, he seems a bit more alert with all the commotion."

There was silence for a moment before Rotor continued, "I'll be real with you here. I didn't expect this… Sure I knew this whole thing with Tails would hit Sonic the hardest, who didn't? But this… This isn't what I expected…"

"I don't think anybody saw this Rotor, but we have to make the best of it… Which I know isn't saying much…"

"We'll get through this, do you want to talk with Sonic when he wakes up?"

The princess nodded, and Rotor silently left the room to continue taking care of a few things. Unbeknownst to them, Sonic's unconsciousness wasn't a pleasant one…

Sonic found himself back on Westside during that thunderstorm, as he looked around, he noticed he found it difficult to move. His arms, legs, and neck felt… Trapped, as if something was holding him back. Suddenly, he saw movement in the edges of his vision. "I know you're there!"

The kitsune stepped out of the darkness, his horrific injuries still fully in plain view as his leg muscles strained with each step as blood oozed from his chest cavity. "I believe it… I can't believe you actually did that!" The kitsune started laughing, leaving Sonic rather confused.

"What do you mean!?"

The kit stopped his laughter and let out a few violent coughs, expelling more blood from his mouth. "You wanted it all to stop so badly that you almost killed yourself!"

"It's a dream! Nothing I do here matters!"

"Are you sure about that? Is this a dream?"

"Of course! What do you take me for!?"

The fox shook his head, "You really don't get it do you?" He began, taking a step toward the hedgehog, who was powerless to run away. "You think you're the one in charge here? Look around, I own you! I'm the embodiment of your fear!"

"You don't own me! I understand that you're part of me, but you've never been in charge!"

"Well then, why don't you tell me that later, after you see for yourself."

The world underneath Sonic's feet spun and he found it more and more difficult to stay upright as after a moment he collapsed and everything went white…

The hedgehog groaned and slowly opened his eyes, he tried to sit up but found his arms had been bound to a bed of some sorts. He looked around and instantly recognized Knothole's infirmary, which he thought was odd as he didn't ever remember getting hurt…

Looking down however, his mind was instantly filled with panic. Layers of thick white bandages were wrapped around his chest, with a crimson colored stain directly where he had…

_"You're just imagining things Sonic!"_ He thought to himself, _"That was a dream remember!?"_

He did remember the dream, but how he got here still remained a mystery, as he took in more of his surroundings. He heard a timid but familiar voice, "Hello? Are you awake?"

He looked over in the direction of the noise and found himself staring into a pair of familiar sapphire eyes across the room. Tails was currently shielding himself with his namesakes as he peeked over the top of them with newfound curiosity.

Sonic wasn't sure what to say, he was here but again, he had no recollection of how he had gotten here… Maybe however, he could use this opportunity to speak with Tails.

"Yeah, I'm up… Not really sure how I got here though?"

"I wasn't too sure about that for a while too! Feels weird right?"

"Yeah, it's super weird…"

"You're Sonic, aren't you?"

"You bet!" The hedgehog responded, trying to put off the emotional turmoil from having Tails not have a clue as to who he was.

"I've heard good things about you! Sally told me you're really fast!"

"They don't call me Sonic for nothing."

"You'll have to show me some time, once I get out of here of course!"

The hedgehog sighed, and Tails noticed his change in demeanor. "What's wrong?"

"It's just… You shouldn't have to do all this…"

"What do you mean?"

"Because you already know me… I'm your best friend Tails, please, just try and remember!"

"I'm sorry, but, I don't know you…"

Sonic, upon hearing this broke down into sobs. Ones so loud in fact, that they attracted the attention of Sally. Whom entered the room and immediately embraced Sonic.

"Thank Chaos you're alive! What were you thinking!?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb, we're just happy you're alright!"

The confused look on Sonic's face however, told Sally all she needed to know. "You actually, don't remember how you got here, do you?"

"I'm sorry I don't Sal, I had the weirdest dream and I'm not really sure how I got here…"

"Sonic… You tried to kill yourself…"

This sentence shook the hedgehog to his core, so the Tails in his dream wasn't lying… He really did try and… The hedgehog couldn't even think about it without wanting to throw up. "How long was I out?"

"Hours…"

Sonic could feel the awkwardness in the room, eventually though, Sally needed her questions answered. "Sonic, why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't, I mean…"

"You told me you were better, after we talked about… You know…"

Sonic sighed, "Sal, I'm sorry… I just, couldn't talk about it at the time… I'm going through a lot right now..."

"We understand that, but you need to tell us you want help. We almost lost you! We're all in this together Sonic, we're here for you…"

"I'm just scared…"

"And that's ok! I think we all are, nobody's really sure how this whole thing is going to end up. But none of us are going to be able to deal with this on our own."

Sonic smiled, "Alright, thanks Sal… I think I'm a bit better now…"

"Promise me… That's what you said last time…"

"I promise."

There was silence for a moment before Sally continued, "Alright, I'm trusting you. I know doing what you did isn't something you'd normally consider. There's got to be more going on, but I'll leave you alone for a minute, maybe you could and Tails could catch up."

She quietly removed Sonic's restraints and left the room, leaving the two injured Mobians to themselves. Tails picked up where they had left off. "Sonic, there is one thing, I know I don't have all my memories, and Sally says that being reminded of them can help… So tell me about us, about you, about myself…"

The hedgehog sighed, "Where do I start… You and I both met a long time ago, you didn't have anybody with you, and you didn't know your parents. For a while, you still didn't really trust me… Mostly because you'd been bullied and abused during most of your life. Eventually, you started to warm up to me and we became, family…"

"Like, brothers?"

"Exactly, we've been together for forever now, and I'm not sure what I'd do without you bud… You're my world, and I'm sorry I let this happen to you, I don't expect you to forgive me, but please, I just want my Tails back."

The kitsune unfurled himself from behind his namesakes, locking eyes with the hedgehog. As he did, a sharp piercing pain shot through his temples as another chunk of his memories returned, this time, of his times with Sonic and all the adventures they'd been through. After the pain subsided, he looked up and smiled. "Sonic?"

The hedgehog was instantly up on his feet and threw his arms around the kitsune. "Tails! You're back!"

The kit chuckled, "Yeah! It's good to be back!"

The two sat in an embrace for a while before Tails broke the silence, "Sonic, did you really… You know… Try to-"

"I did bud, I was just… Scared I'd never see you again. Not you physically, but-"

"I get it, but… Sonic, I don't want to stop you from living out your life. Promise me, if something like this ever happens again… You won't do that…"

"I promise bud, I was just scared. I won't do that again."

"Also, Sonic. This wasn't your fault, if anything it's mine, and I'm ok with that. I just wanted to prove to you that I could handle myself… Maybe I need to be a kid a little longer."

"And that's ok! Besides, you're still the smartest kid I know!"

The kit blushed, "Thanks…"

"Now what about we see what we can do about that leg of yours? I think it's about time we got you back up!"

"I'd be fine with that, but Sally says that we're going to be stitching up my chest soon, so maybe after that."

"You got it bud, besides, I don't think the others are going to let me out of here any time soon. So we're going to get some time together."

The kit smiled, "Alright, it's settled then. After this is done," He said gesturing to his chest. "We'll work on it."

Sonic gave him a thumbs up and pulled the kit into a hug again. "Love you bud."

"Love you too."

**Alright everyone, that's all for today, let me know your thoughts and I'll see you next time!**


	8. Eve of Injury

**Hello everybody! I'm sorry for making you all wait so long for another chapter of this story, with Christmas and family things coming up, I haven't had much time to write recently! I'm back now however so let's get started!**

**Hjue44: The foreboding feeling is certain to be present, especially after what's happened recently…**

**TheGameNguyener: While he's alive, everything's not quite dealt with yet...**

**Obliviblur: With Tails' memories back, and the worse behind them, it's certainly going to get better from here! Hopefully both of them are going to be able to fully recover and get back at it again! Alright everybody, let's get started!**

**Waves**

_**Eve of Injury**_

Later that night, Sonic found himself unable to sleep… He tossed and turned in his infirmary bed, trying to get himself to relax. Every time he tried to doze off however, he would see that… Thing… Despite his knowledge that Tails forgave him for what had happened, and the soft purring of the kit in the bed across from him; he was unable to stop thinking about it.

He tried to close his heavy eyelids, and was almost instantly met with the familiar haunting voice. "Back again? You know you can't get rid of me."

Sonic sighed and turned around to face the apparition. Somehow, his injuries had only gotten worse from the last time he saw him. Dried and fresh blood caked into his fur and his leg torn down to the bone in some places, strips of flesh severed from his body.

"Can you just leave me alone!?" The hedgehog exclaimed.

"Why would I? Your fear is delicious…"

"If you want me to get you something that tastes like mint, you could gave just asked!"

The kitsune rolled his eyes, "You understand what I'm saying. I have no reason to leave, remember, I just take the form of your greatest fear… So long as you let me stay like this, I will. But know regardless of what form I take, I will always be here…" The bloodstained fur around his mouth twisted into a smile, "On that note, let's get started…"

The kitsune lunged at the hedgehog and right before he was about to make contact and plow the speedster into the dirt, Sonic woke up, gasping for breath again.

He figured that since he wasn't going to get any sleep anyways, he'd go at least find something to do. He stood up from his bed and silently crept out of the infirmary, being careful not to wake Tails as he did. As soon as the door shut behind him, he was startled by a familiar voice.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The hedgehog turned and found Sally, with a seemingly disappointed look on her face. The hedgehog quickly began to explain, "I couldn't sleep so I figured I'd just find something to do."

"Not going to happen, you're going back in that room."

"Come on Sal, it's not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal? Not that big of a deal!?"

"Shouldn't have said that…" Sonic muttered before the chipmunk started onto a ramble as she released the emotions she'd been having over the past days.

"You have no idea what you've put all of us through! What you put Tails and ne through! You almost killed yourself, and if I hadn't found you when I did!? You think that's not a big deal!? You're our friend, more than that, you're our family Sonic! For Chaos' sake you think none of us are going to care when you pull a stunt like that!? Are you insane!?"

"Calm down S-"

"I need to calm down!? I thought you were dead! We all thought you were… Were…"

The princess's normally stoic emotions started to fail her as she broke into tears, Sonic immediately pulled her into a hug, "I know Sal, and, I think it's about time I told you what happened…"

Sonic proceeded to tell her everything that had been happening to him over the past couple days. About the nightmares, his guilt for what had happened, and the fear he'd experienced when Tails' memory had been wiped. The princess listened on.

"I'm just not sure what to do Sal… I mean, with that, thing in my head. And with Tails still being hurt… Maybe not even able to walk, I'm just not sure what to do with myself, I've never felt this useless before… You probably feel the same way, or at least do a little…"

"I do but, it's mainly that you tried to…"

"I know I did Sal, and I shouldn't have… I didn't mean to put you guys through this… I was just so overwhelmed and I know I should have talked to you sooner…"

"At least you're telling me now, I think we've all been going through a lot and with Tails finally getting completely fixed up tomorrow we can maybe get this all behind us and get back to normal."

"I hope so…"

"Now get back to bed. You need your sleep."

"Alright, night Sal."

The hedgehog returned to his bed and relaxed, gently allowing himself to drift off to sleep. As soon as he did, the familiar apparition appeared in his thoughts. "Interesting…"

"I'm not scared of you, now leave me alone."

The spirit simply laughed, "I guess I've done enough for tonight, how about we continued this tomorrow?"

Before Sonic could even respond, the being was gone. He figured he might as well use this opportunity while he could and he allowed the embrace of sleep to take him.

**-X-**

Tails groaned as he woke up, stretching himself out on the bed as he sat upright. Wiping the sleep out of his eyes, he remembered that today was the day his surgery had been scheduled for. While he was happy to finally get this whole thing over with and to maybe start working on a new prosthetic limb for himself, he was also very nervous about it. This kind of stuff scared him and he was terrified of what could happen.

Sonic was also naturally very scared, he had almost lost the kit the last time they tried to before a surgery on him, and the hedgehog was nervous it would happen again. He did have faith in Rotor's skills, but he was terrified of losing his family.

Sally noticed the hedgehog's distress and nervous behavior and tried her best to keep him calm as they prepared to start. Deep down however, she was also nervous, just doing a better job ag hiding it. Tails had become something of a son to her, and she hoped he'd make it out of this alright…

Eventually however, hours later, the scheduled time came and Bunnie and Rotor made their way into the infirmary, where Tails was busy trying to calm himself. "H- Hey guys…" He spoke, trying his best to calm his nerves.

Rotor began to prepare his tools as Bunnie came over to him. "Hey, hopefully we'll be quick alright?"

"Bunnie, will this hurt like- like last time?"

The rabbit looked to Rotor for an answer, which he quickly gave. "It's going to hurt, but it's not going to be as bad as when we took off your leg. Plus, this is your last one, so you'll be good after this."

The kit nervously nodded as Bunnie began to fasten the straps securing the kit to the bed. The fox's eyes widened and his breathing and heart rate noticeably sped up.

"I'm sorry for this," Bunnie told him. "We just can't have you moving around for this, I'm really sorry we've got to do this to you again."

With enough comforting, the fox eventually calmed down, his breathing returning to normal. Rotor made his way over with the thread and needle that was going to be used to repair the chest cavity. The kit's bandages were removed and Bunnie extended her hand out to the fox. "You can hold it if you want, if it makes you feel any better."

"T- Thanks…" The kit responded, shakily taking her hand.

"Alright," Rotor began. "I'll try and make this quick, hopefully we can just get this over with. You ready?"

Tails nervously nodded and Rotor moved the needle down to the edge of his skin and began to thread it through.

The kitsune screamed in pain, as without proper amounts of anesthesia, it hurt like crazy. While it was nowhere near as unimaginably painful as it had been when his leg was removed, it still sent flares of white hot pain through his system as the needle moved through each side of his skin.

He could feel each individual pinprick and puncture as Rotor worked, a grimace spread across the kit's face. Bunnies wished there was more she could do, but she had to refrain because they didn't want him getting hurt again.

After what felt like an hour to the fox, but was actually only a few minutes, the pain stopped and kitsune relaxed himself, panting to catch his breath.

"Well," Rotor spoke. "That should hopefully be everything patched up!"

"S- So you're saying I can get out of here?"

"I think so, I mean, you'll probably still have to have Sonic carry you for the time being, at least, until you can make a replacement."

As if he had been summoned, the hedgehog burst through the door and instantly pulled Tails into a tight hug, "Thank Chaos you're alright!"

"Yeah, just a bit lightheaded, but I'm fine."

"How long until the stitches are out?"

"I'd give it two or three weeks," Rotor responded. "They should really just fall out on their own."

Sally made her way into the room as Sonic was busy picking up the kitsune and throwing him onto his back, his singular remaining leg and both his namesakes dangling downward as he was held. "So, what do you want to do bud!?" The hedgehog asked.

"I don't know…" The kit responded, thinking over his answer for a minute. "I guess we could go on a run, like we always do!"

Sonic gave him and nod and before any of the other Freedom Fighters could intervene, he had sped off and was quickly out of the compound. As the made their way out into the fresh air, Tails took in a couple deep breaths, accustoming himself to the fresh air. Sonic continued on their little outing, allowing the wind to rub through the smiling fox's face and bangs.

After a moment, the hedgehog began to decelerate, eventually coming to a stop at the top of a familiar cliff.

"Why here?" Tails asked, knowing full well where the duo was.

"I just figured we could sit for a minute; watch the sunset you know!"

"You? Sit for a minute? I've got to be dreaming…"

The hedgehog burst out laughing at the comment. "Sometimes, I just like spending time with you. You know?"

The two sat at the base of the singular tree on the cliff, the kitsune leaned over and rested his head on the hedgehog's shoulder. Slowly closing his eyes in relaxation. Eventually, the speedster heard soft purring next to him and found that the kitsune had fallen asleep, more than likely exhausted from the recent surgery.

He couldn't help but smile, the worse was behind them, and it was about time he started to get his brother back.

**Alright everybody, that's it for today! I hope you all liked it! Leave me your thoughts! Until next time!**


	9. Fixing the Past

**Hey everyone! Sorry for such a long wait on this chapter! I was a little busy trying to get Broken on its feet. But we're back to working on our regular schedule!**

**SuperTailsFan0812: Yeah, stitches without anesthesia is certainly painful to say the least. You'll get to see more Sonic and Tails moments this chapter.**

**Obliviblur: I'm sorry to hear you knew somebody who went through pain like that, hopefully they're better now. As for the chapter itself, I'm glad that you thought the two of them were cute, and there's going to be a bit more of that soon!**

**Let's get going!**

**Waves**

_**Fixing the Past**_

Tails had gotten much better over the past few days; however, he wasn't really able to move about on his own. He could fly for short amounts of time but he always needed to catch his breath afterward. Seeing him on Sonic's back or shoulders had become a regular occurrence. The kitsune had gotten quite used to his limited mobility, but he decided he would eventually have to begin work on a replacement leg for himself.

The fox was currently in the workshop, contemplating on and working on the designs for his new prosthetic limb. He had been using Bunnie's robotized leg as somewhat of a base, with a few modifications to make it work for his non-robotized body.

As he busied himself with his work, he was unaware of a certain blue hedgehog making his way behind his chair…

"Hey bud!" The hedgehog exclaimed, causing the fox to shoot upright, immediately turning back to the speedster.

"Sonic! Don't do that! You scared me!"

"Just checking in on ya, how's it going?"

"It's fine, I mean, there's a lot of work here. Especially since I only have kind of an idea of what I'm doing…"

"It's alright bud, I'm sure you'll figure it out! You're the smartest Mobian I know!"

The fox blushed slightly at the compliment, "T- Thanks…"

"Is that embarrassment I hear?"

"N- No! I'm not-"

"There it is again! You're so cute when you're embarrassed!"

"Alright, you've got me there…" The kit sheepishly responded.

The speedster lifted the kit underneath the shoulders from behind, "Besides, why wouldn't I want to see my favorite little bro!?"

Sonic's demeanor quickly changed however, as there was no reply to his statement, the kitsune was completely silent, besides from some nervous breathing.

"Tails? Are you-"

Before he could finish, he noticed the kit's wide eyes and pupils, along with his stressed breathing and distant expression. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was happening.

"Tails, it's just a memory. He can't hurt you any more… Tails, can you hear me? Tails!?"

The fox was still unresponsive however as the memory still consumed his brain.

"_Let me go!" The kit exclaimed, delivering a kick to the Swat Bot that currently had him held underneath both shoulders._

"_How I enjoy watching you squirm," The familiar feel voice of Robotnik began. "It's like music to my ears. Now, I hope you didn't forget what I told you the other day, if you don't tell me what I want, you'll want to die. I'm only going to ask this once…" The scientist made his way over, looking the kitsune directly in the eye. "Where are you and your little group of pests hiding…"_

_Tails simply glared back at him, "Do you really think I'd just tell you?" They'll come here, and when they do, you'll be sorry!"_

_Robotnik simply laughed, "Child, I'm not sure you quite understand the gravity of the situation you've found yourself in… I own you now, you will answer to me."_

_The kit simply growled at the scientist in protest, still squirming against his restraints._

_The scientist beckoned the robot over to a small restraining table, "Well then, this is going to be very, very painful…"_

As the kitsune started slowly coming back to his senses, he immediately noticed Sonic's concerned expression. "Tails? You alright?"

The kitsune timidly flinched backward, unsure if what he was seeing was still a memory, or what was actually happening. The hedgehog gently reached out to the kit, whom timidly pulled himself closer to the hedgehog, snuggling himself against the speedster.

Sonic quickly returned the gesture, "It's ok bud, he's not going to hurt you."

The kit's eyes and pupils were still wide with fear, his breathing still panicked and raspy. "S- Sonic…"

"Yeah bud?"

"I'm scared…"

"You're alright, I promise, I won't let Robotnik hurt you again."

The hedgehog tried to suppress his anger, the fact that Robotnik had scared a child so much sickened him, once his got his hands on the tyrant, he would pay… He was actually somewhat surprised at the fact that the kit had managed to suppress the memories for so long. The other Freedom Fighters, himself included, had predicted that he would have some type of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, especially with his reactions to being restrained during his surgeries.

The speedster gently ran his hand through the terrified kit's bangs. Stroking them gently to try and help him to relax. "I'm right here bud, just take as long as you need."

"A- Alright… Thanks…"

The kit just sat in the warm embrace for a while, eventually his eyes returned to their normal size, his breathing settled, and his pulse returned to normal.

"You alright now bud?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah… I'm good… Just, had another memory…"

"That's fine, if you need anything, just know I'm here for you bud."

The kit slowly released himself from the hedgehog's grasp, "Thanks Sonic."

"No problem, I just don't like seeing you afraid like that. You scared me!"

"I- I'm sorry, I-"

"You don't need to apologize, just let me know if something like that happens again."

The fox turned back to his work, trying to still calm his nerves. Sonic was a bit concerned about the kit's mental health, but figured there wasn't anything he could do about it at the moment. He left the kit to his own devices. He quickly tracked down Sally, "Sal, Tails had… An episode…"

"Is he alright!?"

"He's fine, but turns out we were right... There's some trauma there for sure…"

Sally let out a sigh of relief, she was just happy to know he hadn't almost died on them again. As quickly as her fears about that were dispelled however, concern took root. "How's he doing right now?"

"Good… He looked terrified Sal… I didn't know what to do and-"

"If he's fine, that means you did the right thing. Just, give him some time to himself."

Sonic nodded, "I'll try, but… He just looked so scared, I just… I'm not sure if…"

"Sonic, he's ok… Tails is a really tough kid, he'll be alright."

"I hope you're right Sal…"

Sonic made his way out of the room, taking some time to himself to calm down. Several hours later, he peeked into the workshop. "Tails, bud you still doing go-"

He was interrupted by the sound of quiet sniffles, he noticed the kitsune had his head down on the desk, his arms directly below it. His namesakes were curled behind him, he was obviously upset by something.

"Buddy?" Sonic questioned, making his way into the room and over to the desk. "What's wrong?"

"It's just, I'm not going to be able to walk again!" The kit exclaimed, "I just can't figure this out!"

Sonic sat next to the kit, "Bud, you'll figure it out. If anybody can do this, it's you!"

"You're wrong! I'm not smart! I'm just an idiot!"

Sonic was taken somewhat aback by the statement, "What makes you think that?"

"I put you all in danger! It's all my fault that you tried to kill yourself! All because I wanted to prove that I could do things on my own!"

The kit threw himself into the hedgehog's shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. Sonic wasn't quite sure how to respond, but he suspected that the recent memory and panic attack had somehow caused this. He let the kitsune sob away his thoughts for a bit, at least until his crying died down a bit. After a bit, he spoke. "Tails, what's gotten into you bud? You know you're smart…"

"It's just, this is all my fault! If I hadn't been so stupid then-"

"Tails, look at me."

"N- No…"

"Why not?"

"Because, I'll cry again…"

"That's fine bud, it's ok to cry sometimes."

Tails pulled his head off of the hedgehog's shoulder, looking him in the eye. Tears instantly began to flow as Sonic began.

"Tails, bud, this isn't your fault… You don't need to beat yourself up like this… You're really smart, and deep down, I think you know this isn't your fault… You're too smart for that…"

"Yeah right…"

"I'm serious, you're the smartest kid I've met heck, the smartest Mobian I've met! You've always been a genius since we first met, what about the fact that you fixed my plane? What about all the stuff you've built for us? Do you really think an idiot could do all that?"

The fox wiped some of the tears out of his eyes, "N- No…"

"Then why are you calling yourself one!? You're not an idiot bud. Even if you did get captured by Robotnik, which wasn't your doing. You still never told him what he wanted; I think that's pretty brave if you ask me."

"R- Really?"

"Really bud, none of this is your fault."

"What about you trying to… To…"

"That was my fault, I just wasn't sure what to do, I thought I'd never see you again and that was too much for me… You mean the world to me buddy, and I'm not sure what I'd do without you."

Tails wiped some more tears out of his now bloodshot eyes. "I don't know what I'd do without you either… Thanks Sonic…"

"No problem buddy, you know I hate seeing you upset like that. You've got this bud!" The hedgehog responded, ruffling the kit's bangs in the process.

The kit let out some playful laughter at the gesture, a smile crossing his face. He took off from the seat he was in and dove at the hedgehog, whom was tackled to the floor, the duo laughing the whole way.

Eventually their laughter died down as the two laid sprawled out on the floor. Sonic pulled the kitsune into a hug, "Love ya bud."

"Love you too." Came the response, "But, could you help me back up?"

**Alright guys, that's it for today! I hope you all enjoyed! Again, sorry about the long wait. Let me know your thoughts on the chapter in a review or PM! Until next time!**


	10. Final

**Hey everybody! It's about time for another update! You guys really seemed to like the last chapter as I've got some more reviews to respond to!**

**Obliviblur: Yeah, he's not in a great spot mentally, but with Sonic's help it'll hopefully get better! After he's all better, I'm sure Sonic will be out for revenge!**

**SuperTailsFan0812: He's certainly traumatized, but after what he's been through who wouldn't be? More dangerous than that, blaming himself can be a bit of a slippery slope, just like we saw with Sonic…**

**Ragingbaboon38: Thank you for giving this story a shot! It's really been written to get that kind of reaction out of people, so it's good to know it's working! Hopefully you'll stick around to the end!**

**TheGameNguyener: It's certainly left an impression on the kit, one that I don't think is going to be going away any time soon. I guess we'll have to see how everybody deals with the situation!**

**Let's get going!**

**Waves**

_**Fina**l_

"Alright… Let's see if this works…"

"I'm sure it will bud!"

"I don't know… I mean…"

The kitsune speaking had finally finished his prosthetic limb, a gray construct attached to the base of what was left of his leg by a sling like system of straps. Sonic was eager to see if it worked, and more importantly, to put his fears to bed for good.

"Well…" The kit added, "Here goes nothing…"

The fox pulled himself up, standing on his feet for a moment, before his shaky legs collapsed out from underneath him. Sonic caught the kit before he could hit the ground. "You alright?"

"Yeah, they seem to work! It's just that I haven't stood up for a while!" The kit responded, a massive grin across his face.

"So you're saying you can walk now!?"

"Yeah! I guess it works after all!"

Sonic yanked him into a hug, "I knew you could do it It's great to have you back again bud!"

"It's good to be back!"

The fox tried to walk of his own accord again, managing to get a few steps before his legs gave out again. This time, before Sonic could react. The kit pushed himself back up, "Definitely going to need some fine tuning, but I can walk again!"

Sonic had no words to describe his happiness. Being able to have Tails completely back was an amazing feeling. He quickly ran out to tell Sally and the others. Whom followed behind him as they heard the news. The entirety of the Freedom Fighters were overjoyed by the revelation, hopefully they could just put this all behind them and get over the whole thing.

Tails was still a bit shaky on his feet, but that was to be expected, especially considering he needed to fine tune the prosthetic to his own limb. Sonic helped to stabilize him still as the kitsune tried to get used to walking again.

After another couple hours however, the limb functioned just like his old one had and the kit was back to speeding around the hideout, completely overjoyed.

Eventually, as night fell, and everyone made their way to their beds. Sonic was met in his dreams by a familiar face. The dream variation of Tails emerged out of the shadows. His injuries were just as severe as they had been in the past.

Sonic instantly stared him down, "I'm not afraid of you…"

"Maybe not… But no matter what you do, I'll always be here…"

"You know, I guess I can live with that…" Before the kit could do anything, he pulled him into a hug. The fox was caught off guard for a moment before vanishing into tendrils of smoke.

The hedgehog slept soundly until morning. As he awoke, he stretched out his limbs and went to track down Tails. He searched through the compound, finding no trace of the kit. Eventually, he left and headed to a certainly cliff face, where he noticed the familiar pair of tails underneath the singular tree.

"Hey Tails!" The hedgehog began, causing the kit to turn and look over at him, a smile overtaking his face.

"Hey Sonic!"

"Hey bud, how's the leg? It still working?"

"Yeah! It's just fine, just like it was before!"

"That's good to hear bud!"

The duo sat in silence for a bit, taking in the sunrise. Eventually, Sonic decided to break the silence. "What you thinking about bud?"

"Not much…" He responded.

"Tails, I know you better than you think I do. I know something's bothering you…"

The kit sighed, "Well, I guess it's just… Well… You're not going to try and… Kill Robotnik, are you?"

"Do you- Want me to?"

"Actually, it's that I don't want you to…"

"Why not bud? Aren't you mad at him after everything he's put you through?"

"I am… But… I guess, I've just liked that… We weren't really ever going to kill him in the first place, and I don't want to change that…"

Sonic struggled somewhat to understand, if he had found himself in Tails' position, he would be furious! He was furious, he'd hurt Tails! He wanted nothing more to kill the man after what he's done to a child…

"If… If we…" The kit continued, seemingly still struggling for words.

"But, it's alright… Really! If you don't want him dead, then I'll respect that. I mean, in the end it's up to you…"

The kit smiled, "Thanks…"

"Hey bud?"

"Yeah?"

"Are those memories still?"

There was silence for a second before the kitsune responded, "Yeah… I had trouble sleeping last night…"

"Bud, you've got to tell someone about that. You don't need to deal with this yourself… I think you know that…"

"Yeah… Alright… They're getting better though…"

"That's good! Besides, you're my bro! I'm here for you!"

"Yeah, I know… Though this whole thing though, I've realized just how much you all care for me, it means a lot, more then you probably understand… I just want to say thank you…"

"You're welcome bud, it's good to have you back…"

The duo finished watching the sunrise on another day, knowing that finally, the worst was behind them…

**The End**

**Alright, I'd just like to say thank you to everyone that's given this story a look! It was fun to write an I figured a short and sweet ending would be better for the story overall! Please leave your review for what you thought on this story! Stay tuned for the next story from me! Until next time**;


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